Saturday hosts the championship match in women’s singles, as well as both men’s and women’s doubles.
The top two ball strikers in the world have advanced to the women’s championship match, and it will be a rematch from the a dramatic and high-quality final back in 2023. On that day, Aryna Sabalenka came back from a set down to defeat Elena Rybakina to achieve her first Major title. Who will prevail on Saturday night in Melbourne?
Earlier in the day, both the men’s and women’s doubles champions will be crowned.
Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic (7) vs. Elise Mertens and Shuai Zhang (4) – 12:00pm on Rod Laver Arena
Danilina and Krunic already overcame two of the top five seeds to reach their second Major final as a team. Last June, they lost in the championship match of Roland Garros to Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. Mertens is a five-time Major champ in women’s doubles, and has won this event in 2021 and 2024 with different partners. Shuai is a two-time Major champ in women’s doubles, and won this event in 2019 alongside Sam Stosur. As a team, Mertens and Shuai were the runners-up at Wimbledon in 2022.
Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans (WC) vs. Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski (6) – Not Before 2:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
Kubler and Polmans are vying to become the third Australian wild card team to win this title since 2022. Kubler won in 2023 with Rinky Hijikata, while in 2022 the champions were Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis. Skupski is a three-time Wimbledon champion between men’s and mixed doubles, but is 0-5 in finals at the other Majors. This is a first Major final for Harrison.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) Elena Rybakina (5) – 7:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
Sabalenka has separated herself from the field to become the clear World No.1 by a wide margin. She went 63-12 last season, and is already 11-0 during 2026, winning all 22 sets she’s played this year. However, Aryna lost more finals last year than she won, which includes two heartbreaking losses in Major finals after taking the first set.
A year ago in Melbourne, Madison Keys pulled off the upset to claim her first Major. Later in the year in Paris, it was Coco Gauff who came from behind, defeating Sabalenka in a Major final for the second time. Aryna would also lose a tight semifinal at Wimbledon to Amanda Anisimova, before finally winning her first Major of 2025 in New York. She is now 4-3 in Major finals, and 2-1 in Australian Open finals.
Rybakina also suffered some painful losses last season. They include a loss to Sabalenka on grass in Berlin, as well as losses last summer to Leylah Fernandez and Victoria Mboko. All three of those matches were decided by a third-set tiebreak.
However, Elena has been a different player since the lifting of the suspension of her coach, Stefano Vukov, last August. Vukov had been suspended by the WTA last January based on allegations of abusive behavior towards Rybakina. Concerns regarding the nature of their relationship remain, but Elena’s play has significantly improved since his return to her coaching box. Between October and November, she won three hard court titles, and has now reached her third Major final. Just like Aryna, she has not lost a set this fortnight.
Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 8-6 overall, but Rybakina leads 6-5 on hard courts. Within the last six months, they’ve met three times on this surface, with Rybakina taking two of those encounters, including a straight-set victory in the championship match of the WTA Finals. But I’m not convinced Elena will be able to maintain her recent level in her first Major final in three years, especially after seeing some nervous play from her towards the end of her semifinal against Jessica Pegula.
There are not many differences in their playing styles, so the person who better holds their nerve, and is able to limit their unforced errors and double faults, will be the winner on Saturday night. I expect another tight final between these two, as well as some tight play on both sides of the net, but Sabalenka is the favorite to win her fifth Major title. Her recent experience in big matches at this level should be a considerable advantage.
Saturday’s full Order of Play is here.
